I’m sharing some before and after pics from a consultation done over a year ago. As someone who just finally retiled her fireplace with tile she’s had stored for the job since 2016 (yes, that’s me), I’m very proud of this homeowner’s results!
This kind of statement in an email really gets my attention.
“I REALLY messed up on the backsplash.”
Let’s see the pics she originally sent me.
BEFORE - Kitchen tile backsplash
BEFORE - Kitchen tile backsplash
BEFORE - Kitchen tile backsplash
BEFORE - Kitchen tile backsplash
Are you getting an idea of the problem and what was bugging her about this brand new kitchen and backsplash?
There were two complaints about this backsplash.
First of all, she fell in love with a tile mosaic pattern she found online. And in her words, she “NEVER EVEN COMPARED IT to our cabinetry sample.”
You can see she had warm white cabinets and the backsplash tile was a cool white and gray. While I have seen people install looks like this, I do agree, it would bug me too.
Secondly, she took advice from her contractor (eeek!) and bought enough to tile all the way around the doors and wrap around that end of the kitchen as he suggested.
When it was finished she hated it. It was too busy and too cold to match the warmer dove white paint of the cabinetry.
She was planning to redo the tile
I’m sure some of you might be thinking that tile was expensive and wouldn’t it be okay to live with it as is.
Well, I understand, however if this was me, I’d redo it. I think that installing it the way they did over the doors, etc. sort of diminishes the quality and value of it the tile. It almost just makes me think it is wallpaper because of the way it wraps the corner.
Having even that small area of painted sheetrock there would be a nice break from the tile pattern.
She wanted to redo the tile so now she was unsure where to stop and start it. She wasn’t sure what to do at the hood wall and then where to end the backsplash on the side.
“I think the tile should only go up under the hood and stop there. If there was a better place to stop the splash on the side by the door then tile to the ceiling would have been good there. As it is, I think just tiling under the windows and hood is best.”
I redlined her image to show where to end the splash.
As a general rule, end the backsplash with the upper cabinet, so that it dies on top of the counter. That works on the fridge wall. On the cooktop wall, end the splash with the window sill end, dying the splash into the countertop below.
I gave her some tile suggestions for warmer white tile, Danby marble is a good one and this tile from Daltile, in Daphne White, is also a nice warm white with some veining.
A Few More Tips on Kitchen Tile Backsplashes
I shared a few more tips for edging the tile.
Whatever tile you use, you will need to edge it on the exposed sides with a trim piece. Many tiles have a bullnose edge piece or a piece called a "jolly" that is good to use to edge the tile. You can use even another brand's jolly or trim piece, as long as the color matches with your tile and they are both ceramic. With a marble mosaic, you can use a small marble pencil rail piece. I don't think you need to edge it at the top, at the hood, as that mostly dies into the hood from what I can see.
And here’s how less tile in the kitchen turned out to be a really good thing!
AFTER - Kitchen backsplash Q&A
AFTER - Kitchen backsplash Q&A
AFTER - Kitchen backsplash Q&A
If you have a design or decorating project you need some help with, my Designed in a Click service might be just right for you.
You can also check out my Backsplash Bible that covers just about every scenario you might come across.
This blogpost was thoughtfully written by me, Carla Aston, and not by AI, ghostwriters, or guest posters.